Railroad crossing



4 Sept 1, 19 42.

B. c. MONROE RAILROAD CROSSING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1940 Bl c. MONROE 2,294,793

RAILROAD CROSSING Filed Jan. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 1, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILROAD CROSSING Benjamin Cullen Monroe, Tuscola, Ill.

Application January 26, 1940, Serial No. 315,642

3 Claims.

Heretofore when two railway lines cross, the rails at the point of crossing are cut away in both directions to accommodate the flange of the car wheels with the result that a gap is made in each rail and a car wheel must drop into one of these gaps at each intersection of its rail with that of a cross rail. The hammering produced by the car wheel dropping into the gap at each intersection is destructive of the rails at this point and productive of a great deal of vibration and noise.

An object therefore of this invention is to provide a railway crossing with means for eliminating this gap in the direction the train is traveling to eliminate the attendant pounding, jar and noise, as well as wear and breakage of the rolling stock, thus providing greater safety.

Another object is the provision of means for locking the gap eliminating means in its various adjusted positions.

Still another object is to provide a satisfactory means for connecting the two intersecting slides whereby the motion of one is transmitted to the other.

These and other objects, as will hereinafter appear, are accomplished by this invention which is fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a partial top plan view of a railroad crossing embodying the invention with the slides set so as to permit the rails to be used in a vertical direction;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the same showing one of the slides set in a mid-position so as to permit both the horizontal and vertical rails to be used;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the same showing the slides set in the reverse direction so as to permit the horizontal rails only to be used;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 showing the slide locked in the position of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the I locking bar moved so as to permit the slide to be moved, the slide in this case being in the midposition of Fig. 2; I,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the locking bar;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section on the broken line 88 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of one of the slides of Fig. 1 showing the slide reversed;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary section on the line wheel with a groove worn therein; and

Fig. 14 is a partial top plan view of a T-rail with a side plate to lift the above Wheel.

The embodiment shown comprises a railroad crossing made up of rails and 2|, which for convenience are referred to as Vertical rails, and rails 22 and 23, which are referred to as horizontal rails. These rails preferably have a cross section similar to that shown in Fig. 8. The crossing may be cast integral or may be made up of sections riveted, bolted or welded together. It will also be understood that while the rails here shown are at right angles to each other, they may also be set at various convenient angles.

The rails at the point of intersection are cut through diagonally by a channel 24 (Fig. 6) at the upper portion to accommodate slides 25 and 26 which overlie each other and are recessed at 21 and 28 to permit each of the slides to havea certain amount of longitudinal movement with respect to the other. These slides are provided with shoulders 29 as shown in Fig. 5 to insure their retaining their proper position in the cross- The slide 25 is propelled back and forth by means of a link 33 which is connected to any suitable source of power, not shown.

The rails are connected at their intersections by means of suitable cross braces 34, 35 which underlie the slides and serve to render the crossing strong and rigid. Each of the rail sections of the crossing matches up with a suitable railroad rail as 36 and 3'! (Fig.1) and these are connected to the stub ends of the crossing by any suitable means such as fish plates and bolts.

The center portion of the slide 26 is provided with a rack 4| which meshes with a gear 42 which is journalled on a shouldered stud 43, the latterpassing through a member 44 which forms part of the cross brace and is secured thereto by means of a nut 45. The slide 25 is also provided with a rack 46 which also meshes with the gear 42. Opposite the gear 42 is a roller t! which is rotatably mounted upon a shouldered stud 48 which is mounted on the cross brace in the same manner as that described for the member 42. Thus it will be seen that as the slide 23 is moved v back and forth, it will rotate the gear 42 and this in turn will cause an equal longitudinal movement of the slide 25, the thrust of the gear upon the racks being taken by the roller 41.

The vertical rails 20 and 2| are provided with grooves 50 and respectively, and the horizontal rails 22 and 23 are provided with grooves 52 and 53. The slides 25 and 26 are provided with cooperating grooves which are adapted to register with the grooves in the vertical and horizontal rails in various combinations as will now be described. Means is also provided for locking these rails in several adjusted positions, and that will likewise presently be described.

The slide 25 is provided with grooves 54 and 55 which, as shown in Fig. 1, are in register with the vertical grooves 50 and 5|. The slide 26 likewise has grooves 56 and 5'! which at the same time mesh with the vertical grooves 56 and :55. Thus, with the slides 25 and 25 locked in the position shown in Fig. 1, a train may pass over the crossing using the vertical rails but a train could not pass over .the horizontal rails as shown in Fig. -1.

In Fig. 2 the slides are shown in an intermediate position in which a train may pass either horizontally or vertically over the crossing. This is accomplished by providing cross grooves 53 and 59 in the slides 25 and 26, respectively. Thus the crossing 58 registers with the grooves 59 and 53 While the crossing 59 registers with the grooves 5| and 52. Similar crosses, now shown, are provided in the intersections of the grooves '50 and 52 and 5! and 52.

In Fig. 3 is shown only one slide 25 and it is provided with a groove 65 which registers with the groove 53. Similar grooves are provided in the two slides at the other three intersections which together permit the flanges of the train wheels to pass over the railroad crossing using the horizontal rails.

A means for locking the slides in the various adjusted positions will now be described. This comprises a locking bar -65 which is best seen in Figs. ,1, 2, 7, l1 and 12. It crosses both of the slides diagonally and is slidably mounted in squared openings .66 at points somewhat beneath the slides. The under side of the slide 25 is provided with three notches 61, 68 and 69 (Fig. 12) which correspond respectively to the position of this slide in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. the locking bar 65 engages the notch 61 as shown in Fig. 1, thereby preventing this slide from being moved. The slide 26 is provided with similar notches, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and is locked by the locking bar in the same way.

The locking bar 65 is provided with recesses H1 and II to permit the passage therethrough of Thus in Fig. 11

the slides 25 and 26 respectively when the locking bar is Withdrawn to the position shown in Fig. 12. When so withdrawn, the slides can be moved freely from one adjusted position to another after which the locking bar is moved back so as to lock the slides in any one of the three positions corresponding to those of the parts shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The locking bar is operable by means of a link 72 which may be operably connected to the link 33 in such a way that the locking bar is first moved to its unlocked position as shown in Fig. 12 after which the slides may be moved by means of the link 33 to any one .of the adjusted positions, following which the locking bar is again moved back to a locking position such as that shown in Fig. '11. It will be apparent from this that a suitable block signal can readily be operably connected to the mechanism for moving the links 33 and 12 so that the position of the railroad crossing, whether open or closed, or any given direction of travel over the rails, will be indicated by an appropriate colored light, semaphore or the like.

The various parts which slide upon each other have been provided with draining notches as 13, Figs. 1 and 5, to permit the ready drainage of water, sand and the like. The notches in the rails have also been provided with openings as 14, Fig. 8, for a similar purpose.

In Fig. 13 is shown an end view of a standard T-rail having a base 15, a web 16 and head 11. On this rides a wheel 18 which has an annular depression 19 worn therein by the action of brake shoes and of the beads of the T-rails on which it runs. The wearing of this depression produces a lip of greater diameter than the depression and when the wheel rides off the rail and on to a broader flat surface, as in this crossing, this lip suddenly lifts the Wheel and its load thereby producing a heavy pound. To avoid this, I have shown in Fig. 14 a normal T-rail 36 having a tapered plate 8| secured to the outside of the rail as by bolts. This may be of any suitable length and as the wheel passes over it, the lip 80 rides up over it gradually so that the severe pound is eliminated. This tapered plate may also be formed integral with the rail as by casting.

While I have shown and described but a single embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made Which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended clairns.

Iclaim:

1. In a railway crossing of the class described, intersecting rails, each having grooves for the passage of flanges of railway wheels, the groove in one rail forming a gap in the intersecting rail, a slide at each of the intersections having grooves adapted to register with the grooves in either pair of rails and to fill the gaps in the other pair of rails to carry the car Wheels over the latter gaps to prevent pounding, each slide also having a cross groove adapted to register simultaneously with the grooves in both intersecting rails, means for simultaneously moving said slides from one adjusted position to another,

notches in the slides, and a correspondingly notched bar slidably mounted beneath the slides transversely of the slides and having means en'- gaging the notches in the slides for positively locking the slides in each of the adjusted positions.

2. In a railway crossing of the class described, intersecting rails, each having grooves for the passage of flanges of railway wheels, the groove in one rail forming a gap in the intersecting rail, a slide at each of the intersections having grooves adapted to register with the grooves in either :pair of rails and to fill the gaps in the other pair of rails to carry the car wheels over the latter gaps to prevent pounding, each slide also having a Cross groove between the other grooves adapted to register simultaneously with the grooves in both intersecting rails, means for simultaneously moving said slides from one adjusted position to another, notches in the slides, and a correspondingly notched bar slidably mounted transversely of the slides and provided at its notches with means for engaging the notches in the slides for positively locking the slides in each of the adjusted positions, said notched bar being movable to arrange its notches to permit passage of the slides for changing the position of the same.

3. In a railway crossing of the class described, intersecting rails, each having grooves for the passage of flanges of railway wheels, the grooves of one rail forming a gap in the intersecting rail, a slide at each of the intersections having grooves adapted to register with the grooves in either pair of rails and to fill the gaps in the other pair of rails to carry the car wheels over the latter gaps to prevent pounding, means for simultaneously moving said slide from one adjusted position to another to bring a desired set of grooves in the slides into register with certain grooves in the rails, said slides being provided in their underside with notches, and a continuous locking bar extending longitudinally of one of the rails and slid ably mounted in ali-ned openings in two of the intersecting rails and crossing beneath the slides and provided with relcesses adapted to permit passage of the slides for changing the position thereof, said locking bar being provided at its recesses with means for engaging the notches in the undersides of the slides for positively locking the slides in each of their adjusted positions.

BENJAMIN CULLEN MONROE. 

